Bangkok After Hours - eBook

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Pattaya Go-Go clubs and bars targeted in new crackdown.. Soi 6 bars Told Not to Open Before 6pm!!! WTF!!!

ThaiVisa News Reports that authorities in Pattaya this week launched a new crackdown on
bars and go-go clubs in the resort city. As
part of the crackdown licensing officials in Pattaya have temporarily
prohibited the opening of new Go-Go bars and that licenses for such
establishments will not be issued for the foreseeable future - although no time
frame has been determined as to how long this may be. The crackdown also seen
Pattaya’s notorious Soi 6 the subject of increased scrutiny by authorities this
week with all owners informed bars are not permitted to open until 6pm. Bar
owners have been warned that failure to comply will result in fines and
suspension of licenses. “They [the authorities] told me I cannot open my bar
until 6pm”, one bar owner who requested not to be named told Thaivisa on
Saturday. “They told every bar the same”. “It is already hard to make money
from the bar [with so much competition] but if I cannot open during the day I
don’t know how I can stay [open]”, the bar owner added.

“But some bars still open in the day but some
have closed and only open at 6pm”. “I don’t know why some can stay open but some
have to close like us”. Thaivisa has also learned that the crackdown is part of
a wider change to the way licenses for bars and clubs are issued in the city,
with the whole licensing process set to be overhauled.

The changes would mean that rather than having to revoke licenses
from bars that fail to comply with licensing laws, offending bars would simply
not be allowed to renew existing licenses and therefore be prevented from
trading legally. Officials are set for further discussions on proposed new
licensing measures this coming week.

The new crackdown comes as officials in Pattaya continue to try
and transform the seedy image of the city, which has seen it proclaimed as the
‘sex capital of the world’ by foreign media, to that of a modern, family
friendly tourist resort. The crackdown also follows an increase in the number
of undercover stings used to target bars and massage parlours that are
suspected of selling sexual services.

Commentary: They're going to end up driving all the bar business to relocate to Phnom Penh and all the Baht that get's spent on Soi 6!